Thursday, 10 July 2008

I'm currently 20 and entering my senior year of college. I'm somewhat homeless right now due to lots of traveling and moving, but I'm essentially based in the proximity of New York City.

I've been reading since I was 5. My mom would read to me at night and one night I got sick of waiting for her to finish setting up the coffee pot and everything else mom's do to get ready for the next day, and began reading my Dr. Seuss book to myself. I then began reading on my own and continued to read with my mom until I was 8 and she was pregnant with my brother. She was too tired to read, but we got through the first 4 Harry Potters together. We now own 2 copies of the last 3 Harry Potter books because we both had to read it right away at our own pace.

I kind of fell out of reading after my brother was born and didn't get really back into it until the summer of 2007. I was about to start 8th grade and my brother was staying home with me that summer. To keep myself occupied while watching him, I would read. I ended up reading about a book a day and going to the bookstore every weekend. I read through the Clique series, one Gossip Girl book and countless others. Then I continued on my reading rampage when school started, beginning with Twilight. I read Twilight three times in one week to tide me over until the next weekend when I bought New Moon and the newly released Eclipse.

From there I went to vampires, then paranormal, which caused me to find A Great and Terrible Beauty and then opened me onto historical fiction. I read a lot from then on, a mix of adult and YA. Since beginning blogging, I now read mostly YA books, with a smattering of romance, non-fiction, and literary fiction.

I've held three publishing internships, worked for several authors, and currently have a freelance editing business, True Blue Editorial. I also semi-(un)officially work at a few bookstores because I have worked at one/look like someone who does work at all of them and unofficially intern for some friends when in need. I also founded #quietYA and helped create #AtMyBookstore.

Lanna and I have never met (fun fact for you all) and we pretty much only talk on Skype.

Lanna: Okay, I completely fail at about me sections, so I'll just give you a random list of things about me...

I'm 25.

I love books, obviously.

I ramble a lot, but I'm actually really shy in person.

I'm an introvert. I'm not very good at - people? Yes, that works. I'm bad at people.

I write (not very well, but I love it and if someday I ever write something I don't totally hate, I'd like to get published).

I live in Scotland.

My real name is actually Alana (I spell it with 2 N's), which I hate.

I have a bunch of nicknames, I answer to any of them: Lanna (obviously), Lanny/Lanni/Lannie, Allie/Alli, Pigeon, Pidge...

I have two best friends: Batman (a girl) and Roo (guy). Most of the nicknames are their fault.

If I judge people, I tend to give them a chance to prove me wrong.

But if you're racist or homophobic, we'll have issues.

I'm argumentative -- don't take that to mean that I like picking fights and throwing insults, I just love debating with people and if you can hold your own in a debate with me then you'll probably earn my respect.

I'm Agnostic (leaning on more towards Agnostic Atheism)

I don't like being preached to. I'm fine with people believing whatever they want to believe, but don't try to force those beliefs on others.

Books I think everyone should read: anything by Melina Marchetta or John Green, The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson, The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons, Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.

I am terribly indecisive.

I have the attention span of a flea.

I have a tendency to say things and forget what I said by the time people reply, or I'll ask the time and forget to listen to the answer (Julie has had to put up with the e-version of my epic memory fails).

I'm very easily amused.

I often laugh when I should cry, it's just the more fun option. Like that time I somehow managed to trip over a table, badly bruising my legs and cutting them on the sharp corners (it was quite impressive--I was holding a bowl of food and managed not to spill it), I laughed so hard my sides hurt too.

The wicked witch from The Wizard of Oz terrifies me (just the original movie, Wicked is wonderful).

Phobias: spiders, needles butterflies, and chalk (I've been really excited about certain books before then had to give them away because the pages were made of that chalky paper).

I have never had a piercing, not even my ears.

I can't imagine life without music. I like everything from classical to indie to pop to rap to country to metal to punk to... I think you get the point.

I really like lists. I don't go a single day without making a list of some sort.